Here’s Why You Should Love the Jaylen Brown Pick

“I’m gonna go to war for this city” – Jaylen Brown

Rumors were everywhere as the clock ticked down on the Boston Celtics when they were on the clock with the third pick in the draft. Trying to land a star player like Jimmy Butler or have the Philadelphia 76ers increase their package was their goal, but they couldn’t strike up a deal in time.

Instead of drafting point guard Kris Dunn to entice the Chicago Bulls and 76ers over the next month, in hopes of striking up a deal, they decided on shooting guard/small forward Jaylen Brown instead. It came with mixed reactions from Celtics fans, to say the least. You hear everything from people claiming he’s going to be a bust to people saying he’s a future star.

Only time will tell whether Danny Ainge made a mistake by reaching for Jaylen Brown with the third pick, but Celtics fans will fall in love with him right away once they get a chance to watch him.

Last season, Boston compiled a roster of many undersized players. It worked, but there’s no doubting their size at every position hurt them at one point or another throughout the season. That all changed on Thursday night when the Celtics left with Jaylen Brown, who instantly becomes their most versatile player.

Brown is a ridiculous 6’7″ and 225 pounds. Not only does he have a man’s body at 19-years-old but he should continue to get bigger over the next couple of seasons. That size will already allow the Celtics to play him anywhere from shooting guard to power forward, and he’s quick enough to guard any position in the NBA right away.

NBA size is something many college players lack, even Brandon Ingram who was drafted second overall. Brown has always been big for his age and knowing how to use his size will help him get acclimated to the NBA.

Being able to guard any position is something not many NBA players are able to do, especially rookies. It’s what makes Jae Crowder and Marcus Smart so valuable to the Celtics defense, and why Smart continues to see around 27 minutes per game despite his poor offensive arsenal. The same will go for Brown, at least early in his career.

Jaylen Brown has work to do on the offensive end, however, if he’s able to develop a jump shot then he has a chance to be a star. He’s one of the few players in the draft that owns star potential, which is why he was so intriguing to Boston.

He relied a lot on bully ball down low on offense in college and high school, but obviously he can’t do that in the NBA. Brown shot a terrible 29.4 percent from three during his lone season at California, and he finished his freshman season with five straight games in which he shot under 30 percent from the field.

Those aren’t positive signs for a player who was just selected third overall but the Celtics worked him out twice, which is rare, so they must have seen potential in his mechanics.

Developing a jump shot will take his game to the next level. Brown was one of the most athletic wings in the draft, who can finish an alley-oop or an acrobatic dunk with ease. There’s no question Boston will watch him fly down the lane and finish with a thunderous dunk more than a couple of times this year, but he can’t rely on that forever. He’s instantly the Celtics most athletic player and Brad Stevens has to be licking his chops drawing up plays for him.

It’s going to take time but I expect him to eventually develop a solid mid-range game. His ability to take defenders off-the-dribble will play a huge part in that as they’ll have to respect his drive and play off him. Also, there will be more scoring options alongside him in Boston, therefore defenses won’t be as focused in on him and he’ll have more room to work.

Brown set lofty expectations during his post-draft interview. He told the media, “I want to be a top-five player in the league one day. I’ve said that before and I’m sticking too it.”

It’s hard to predict stardom right after a rookie is drafted, however, Brown does have a chance to be one of the best two-way players in the league. Also, it’s never bad to have a young guy determined to be great, and have a genuine love for the game of basketball.

Those type of intangibles can sometimes be overlooked when looking at draft prospects. From everything I’ve heard, Brown seems like his main goal is to win and get better. He’s not going to cause problems on or off-the-court, and, as he said, “I’m gonna go to war for this city.” There really isn’t anything else you can ask from your rookie right now than to be really excited to get started.

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Brown, like most rookies, will have his growing pains. He’ll have games where he can’t hit anything, or when he makes dumb decisions. He’ll get beat by guys off the dribble and will get beat by a nice post move in the paint. But that’s what happens to rookies, especially when they see heavy minutes.

The Celtics needed an athlete, and they got one. They wanted a star, and they potentially drafted one. Boston needed a guy who’d fit with their core, and Brown is a perfect fit in a small ball lineup. Maybe Brown doesn’t become a great two-way player or a star like many people project, but I have a hard time believing he will be a flat-out bust.

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You can stick around in the NBA by just being a great on-ball defender – Marcus Smart – and Brown should be that type of player if nothing else. Obviously that’s not what you’re hoping for out of the third pick, but just like Danny Ainge said, “Give the kid a chance.”